Doing nothing is hard work

Doing nothing is hard work

The dying embers of my visit to Nepal was spent in Pokhara recuperating from the trek; black tea; savoring the culinary curry delights from the Punjabi Vegetarian Restaurant; retail therapy; more black tea and going on a boat ride on the Tal being rowed by an 80 yr old. Stroke, stroke, stroke. No Retirement Age here!

The plane ride to Kathmandu was 25 minutes, only an hour late (good by Nepali standards). As it was our last night in Nepal I shouted Colie an up market hotel, Kathmandu Resort Hotel at $35 for a twin room. It was the first time she had lay on an inner spring mattress in 103 days. An evening meal at OR2K, Colie’s favorite, with our trekking buddies, Kiri and Megan and breakfast at New Orleans and a massage for me (900 Rupees) rounded off our stay in Nepal.

It was the French Novelist, Marcel Proust who said: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes”.

Nepal was that for me. A mosaic of contradictions, opposites, paradoxes and ironies.

Small country…high mountains

One verdant garden of tranquility in Kathmandu surrounded by a sea of chaotic, smelly, noisy choking urban jungle  

Affluent tourists drowned in souvenir honey haranguing shopkeepers struggling for any of life’s pleasures

Gentle Nepali culture entangled with pushy Nepali people “Sir just this way” One moment sir” “No Sir Please come”

Abundant water (Often)… Electricity blackouts

Beautiful scenery masquerading in abject poverty in a vista of pollution, waste and rubble

The holy and the profane, like ying and yang, holy men and holy money making, like ying and yang

Overt displays of same sex public affection. Homosexuality outlawed

 Kathmandu suffocating… Pokhara breathing

No rules, no regulations, traffic chaos and logical absurdity where there are fewer deaths when the traffic lights do not work

New infrastructure initiatives left half unfinished that mask the corruption, disorganization and a lack of will

High mortality rate, Low literacy rate and young children with English as the hope for the future

Foreign Aid: Government Waste

Same same… but different

A favourite quote of mine from the acerbic tongue of Bill Bryson is; “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”

So what have I learnt from my 21 days in Nepal?

Bistari, bistari… slowly, slowly

Ali, ali… little by little

Opportunity borne out ingenuity

A sanitized version of life can often mask a disconnection to moshka, breaking the cycle of rebirth

In the end I came to a real love of Nepal. It will always hold an affectionate place in my heart. Sharing it with Colie, teaching in the village and shedding a few of my layers of unconscious prejudice echo the words of James Michener;

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”

So after the first of ten countries to visit on this epic journey Colie and I are now off to the country of the King and I; the Holy Grail for the family. It has been 104 days since Anne and Katie have seen Colie. It is a long time for a mum and protective sister.

Until next time,

Good tiding and God’s blessings

Janika